Package for radio



y 13, 1969 H. D. VAN SCIVER 3,443,661

PACKAGE FOR RADIO Original Filed Dec. 30, 1966 INVENTOR.

HERBERT D- Vdn SCIVER ATTORNEY United States Patent Int. Cl. H04r 7/16U.S. Cl. ISL-31 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A packing box for asmall transistor radio is provided. The box is dimensioned to hold theradio after it is unpacked. The box acts as a baffle and resonator toimprove the reproduction of sound from the radio.

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 606,335,filed Dec. 30, 1966, now abandoned.

Bafile boxes, sounding boards and various other arrangements have beenused to enhance the reproduction of sound from a loudspeaker. Also,loudspeakers have been placed in enclosures or resonators to enhance theresponse of selected frequencies within the audio signal beingreproduced. Such enclosures have included spaced walls to providereflections of signals to produce phase shifts so that the sound fromthe back end of a speaker is more in phase with the sound emanating fromthe front of the speaker. The net effect of the various arrangementsused heretofore, when properly applied, is to enhance the reproductionof the sound and increase the intelligibility of communicationstransmitted.

Small, pocket-size, transistorized radios have become very popular inrecent years. Because of their relatively small size, none of theadvantages relating to enclosures can be effected. In general, thetransistor radios include tiny speakers and small cases. This makes itimpractical to reproduce and transmit signals below 1,000 cycles. Hence,the sound from the radio is generally squeaky and voice communication isseriously degraded.

In most cases, the packing boxes for the transistor radios are discardedby the purchaser after the radios are unpacked. These packing boxesoften involve a sizable portion of the total sales cost to amanufacturer.

It is an object of this invention to provide means for improving thereproduction of sound from small speakers without increasing the size ofthe cases including such speakers.

It is a further object of this invention to provide means for improvingthe reproduction of sound in small transistorized radios without anysubstantial increase in total sales cost for the manufacture andpackaging of such radios.

It is still a further object of this invention to enhance the value of asmall transistor radio to a consumer without an increase in cost to themanufacturer.

In accordance with the present invention a packing box for a smalltransistorized radio is provided. The packing box is dimensioned toreceive and hold the radio after it is unpacked. The packing boxprovides a bafile and a resonator for the sounds emanating from thespeaker of the radio thereby improving its overall reproduction.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparentand suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, from a reading ofthe following specification and claim taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a radio disposed in a packing box, in accordance withthe present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates the transistor radio within the packing box after itis unpacked and during use, and

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate a box and radio partly in cross section,involving further embodiments of the present inventlon.

Referring particularly to FIG. 1, a packing box 10 is adapted to receivea small transistor radio 12. A foam plastic element 14, or othersuitable packing material, is included within the packing box 10 toprotect the radio 12 and prevent damage during shipment. A lid or cover16 is adapted to fit over the packing box 10.

The packing box 10 may comprise cardboard, plastic or other suitablematerial. In a preferred embodiment, the packing box 10 is made ofpolystyrene, which may be made by injection molding, for example.

When the radio 12 is unpacked by a purchaser, the packing materialcomprising the element 14 and the cover 16 are discarded. The radio 12may then be inserted into the packing box 12 in a manner illustrated inFIG. 2. The mounting of the radio onto the packing box 10 may be bymeans of the press fit, as illustrated.

The packing box 10 comprises top and bottom parallel walls 18 and 20,respectively, a pair of parallel side walls 22 and 24 and a back wall26. The packing box 10 is enclosed by the top, bottom, side and rearwall and forms an enclosed area 27 which acts as a resonating chamber.The packing case 10 is enclosed on all sides except for an open frontarea. For purposes of explanation, the packing box 10 may be consideredas having a predetermined length, represented by the length of the sidewalls, and a predetermined depth represented by the width of the top andbottom walls.

The case of the radio 12, which includes a speaker 13, may also beconsidered as having a predetermined length, a predetermined width, anda predetermined depth, with the length generally being longer than thewidth.

The radio case is dimensioned to fit into the open area of the packingbox 10. The length of the case of the radio therefore is substantiallythe same as the length of the two side walls 22 and 24, making allowancefor the dimensional thickness of the walls. The width of the radio 12 issubstantially shorter than the length of the packing box 10, this lengthbeing represented by the length of the top and bottom walls. The depthof the radio 12 is substantially less than the depth of the packing case10.

When the radio 12 is mounted in the position illustrated, its top andbottom portions physically engage the portions of the top and bottomwalls 18 and 20, respectively. All other areas surrounding the radio 12are exposed to the atmosphere, with the front portion facing outwardlyand the back and side portions being within the enclosure 27.

In the position illustrated, the sound from the speaker 13 is emanatedoutwardly away from the box 10. At the same time, part of the sound istransmitted into the enclosure 27 around the sides of the radio. Inaddition to the direct sound from the speaker 13, the case of the radio12 vibrates, with these vibrations being transferred to the walls of thepacking box 10.

The total effect of the arrangement illustrated is that the soundemanating from the speaker 13 is greatly enhanced. Part of thisenhancement is due to the packing box or case 10 acting as a soundingboard, with part of the enhancement resulting from the enclosed area 27acting as a resonator. The various dimensions of the parts involved,together with the space relationship of the various walls, cause thephase relationship to be such that the low frequency signals becameenhanced or emphasized.

In actual practice, signals over a range of frequencies less than 200cycles to over 10,000 cycles were applied to the radio. A microphone wasplaced about two feet from the radio to pick up the signals transmittedfrom the speaker. When the radio 12 was not placed in the box 10, theresponse or amplitude for signals below 1,000 cycles was very low. Whenthe radio was put in the packing box 10, as illustrated in FIG. 1, thesignals below 1,000 cycles were greatly increased in amplitude. With theuse of cardboard as the material for the packing box, the low frequencysignals were considerably enhanced. The use of a plastic box resulted instill greater improvement in the low frequency response over theresponse received with the cardboard enclosure.

For purposes of illustration, the following dimensions are givenrelating to the radio 12 and the packing box 10. The packing box mayrange from five to seven inches long, four to six inches wide and threeto four inches deep. The length of the case of the radio may range toconform with the width of the packing box, i.e. from four to six inches,its width may be less than the length of the packing box to provide openareas on both sides thereof when inserted into the box, i.e. from threeto five inches, and its depth may be between one and two inches.

In a preferred embodiment giving improved low frequency response, theoutside dimensions of the packing box were six inches long, four andthree-quarter inches high or wide and three and one-quarter inches deep.The case of the radio was four and one-half inches long, three incheswide and one and one-eighth inches deep. The thickness of the wall ofthe packing box is not critical and may range from one thirty-second tothree sixtyfourths of an inch.

It is realized, of course, that the above dimensions may be varieddepending upon the particular response desired. In general the sameproportional relationship between the packing box and the case of theradio is desirable, regardless of the precise dimensions involved.

The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3 is substantially similar to the oneillustrated in FIG. 2. The radio 12 includes a pair of notched elements30 and 32 adapted to snap into grooves 34 and 36 formed into the box 10.The notches and the grooves may generally be incorporated into the unitswithout substantial additional cost during the manufacturing operationwhich may involve molding techniques.

The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4 shows the radio 12 having a clip 38adapted to fit over the top wall of the packing box and snap into agroove 40 therein. The clip may be plastic and formed with the case ofthe radio during manufacture and be resilient in nature. It may also bean additional element to the radio case, if desired, such as a resilientmetallic spring element.

It is seen that the subject invention has made it possible to provideimproved sound reproduction from a speaker of a transistor radio withoutadding materially to the manufacturing cost. This is made possible bythe utilization of a packing box, which is normally discarded by apurchaser after the radio is unpacked.

In addition to providing an improved product for a manufacturer withoutadditional cost, the subject invention has made is possible to provide amanufacturer with a sales feature to increase the appeal of his productfor consumers.

I claim:

1. An acoustical enclosure for a transistor radio having a speakerpermanently connected inside of a case with the case being dimensionedbetween four and six inches long, three and five inches wide and one andtwo inches deep, said case including top and bottom protruding elements,said acoustical enclosure comprising top and bot tom walls dimensionedbetween five and seven inches long, side walls joining said top andbottom walls dimensioned between four and six inches long, a rear walljoining said top, bottom, and side walls to provide a completely closedacoustical enclosure except for an open front, said acoustical enclosureincluding recesses in said top and bottom walls disposed towards saidopen front, said case being fitted securely lengthwise between said topand bottom walls towards said open front of said enclosure, with saidprotruding elements of said case being fitted into said recesses of saidacoustical enclosure, the front, sides and rear walls of said case beingfree of said enclosure, a portion of the sound emanating from thespeaker being directed towards the inner walls of said enclosure andreflected towards said open front, said enclosure acting as a resonatorand a bafile to enhance the sound emanating from said speaker, thedimensions of said enclosure causing the acoustical signals in the rangebelow 1,000 cycles per second to be enhanced.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,319,527 5/ 1943 Zavattaro325-352 2,878,375 3/1959 Schachtel 325-361 3,231,079 1/1966 Ryan 206-463,244,981 4/ 1966 Tatevasian 325361 FOREIGN PATENTS 980,670 1/ 1965Great Britain.

STEPHEN I. TOMSKY, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 20646; 325-361

